The lead singer of rock band Iron Maiden is to announce the winner of a coveted award for brewing beer after becoming a real ale enthusiast.

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Bruce Dickinson will unveil the champion beer at the Campaign for Real Ale's (Camra) Great British Beer Festival in London tomorrow.

The star has brewed his own beer with Robinsons Brewery, called Trooper, which will be on sale among hundreds of others at the annual event.

Camra chairman Colin Valentine said: "We are hugely proud to have Bruce Dickinson announcing the winner of the Champion Beer of Britain competition. He is a true real ale lover.

"The unique taste of Trooper has not only captured Iron Maiden's fan base, it is also attracting new customers to the beer category who are now trying real ale for the very first time."

Dickinson said: "When asked if we wanted to enter into a partnership with the respected Robinsons Brewery to design and brew a real ale for ourselves and our fans, we leapt at the chance.

"What has been particularly encouraging, over and above the international sales success and even over the tremendous reaction from our fans, is how it has been so warmly welcomed by serious beer aficionados outside the Iron Maiden community.

"As a dedicated ale drinker myself, I was very aware of the many great beers available and the extremely high level of competition we faced. "

Trooper is distributed in 38 countries and has sold five million pints worldwide in its first year.

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